I am want to change career fields, do the school you graduate from affect if you get hired for a job or not?

Question

I am currently in the Construction Industry and want to change to Human Resources Field. I am getting my MBA with a concentration in Human Resources and Organizational Development, From Governors State University in University Park, IL. Lately all I have heard is because the school is not a Ivy League school no one will hire you. I am wondering is this true and if so what can I do? I will be completed in April 2007.

Answer 1

I think the only time it has an effect is if all other factors are the same, and even then it might not matter. Otherwise, I don't think it really matters what school you graduated from. If it did, not too many people would have jobs, because not too many of us went to Ivy League schools. Use your interview to really win them over. They want to be able to connect with the people they are working with!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I think it would all depend on the type of company(ies) where you attempt to seek employment. Smaller firms may not be as interested in whether or not you obtained your degree from an Ivy League school. However, if you seek a position at a much larger, more prestigious firm, then yes, they may consider the school. And since this is such a career change, even with the MBA, you may still have to accept a position as HR assistant, or similar, just to get your foot in the door. Just my thoughts....

Answer 4

I have a PhD in geology and have spent many years around academia.

I suggest that you get the US News college rankings. They just came out. And see how Governor's State is ranked. I have never heard of it, but there are a lot of good schools that I have never heard of.

Ask your department graduate advisor or alumni coordinator to tell you where recent graduates have gotten jobs. Also, ask students who were there last year where the students they know got jobs (or if they didn't). Call some of the graduates and ask them how hard it was to get a job and the effect of graduating from GSU.

Identify some businesses that you would like to work for. Call their HR manager. Tell him/her that you might want to work with them when you graduate and ask whether they would recommend that you get a degree from another school.

Definitely, you do NOT have to have an ivy league degree to get a good job! There are only so many ivy league graduates and they cannot possibly fill all the good jobs in the country!

It would be desirable to find out which universities in your area have the best reputation among HR managers.

Good luck.

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I visited the US News college ranking site:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php

It is only $15 to get access to the ranking data and a lot more. One thing they have is a questionaire that suggests schools based on your criteria, e.g. distance, major, etc.

I saw that GSU is a suburban university with only 2,700 students. That is usually a bad sign. Most schools that size really should not be classified as universities. It is difficult for them to support the research activity that is necessary to have a good graduate education program. This is only a generalization on my part, but I suggest that you check out GSU's rep among potential employers.

Another bad sign is that GSU apparently is non-selective in its admissions. If so, that means that the student body is of poor quality. Competition with other good students for grades is an important motivator. Non-selective schools are usually held in low regard.

There is a bottom-of-the-barrel college a 10-minute drive from me. I taught there for several semesters. Their enrollment is 4,000 and just received "university" status a couple years ago. They have non-selective admissions. I'd say that 1/3 of the students in my "Chemistry for Science Majors" classes should not have been in college. A degree from this "university" is not looked upon favorably.

I hope you will be able to do some research with college guides and HR managers. The GSU library probably has college guides and if you ask the librarian, they will show them to you. They might even have the US News rankings, so you would not have to pay for it.

E-mail me if you have more questions.

Answer 5

I don't think that is true. While Ivy League schools may have a better chance, it is not a certainty. Your workworld background may actually be a plus.

Answer 6

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